Exploring the Benefits of
Shared Spaces and Services for
Hunterdon County Nonprofits
March 30, 2012
• Build with Purpose
• United Way of Hunterdon County
About the Presenters
• Build with Purpose is a nonprofit real estate development organization
with a mission of building sustainable organizations and healthy, vibrant
communities. For almost a decade we
have been helping nonprofits find,
expand and finance facilities. Promoting
and developing nonprofit centers is an
integral part of our mission and work.
• United Way of Hunterdon County provides leadership
that brings people together, promotes volunteerism,
and mobilizes resources to have lasting change and measurable impact
in the community. They focus on 3 areas:
improving financial stability of Hunterdon County
residents, ensuring residents have access to health
care, and education.
What is a nonprofit center?
Nonprofit Centers are buildings that house multiple
organizations and provide healthy, efficient, quality, missionenhancing workspace. More than just offices, these facilities can
become sustainable centers for strength for communities to
dream together, work together, and grow together.
Nonprofit centers come in all shapes and sizes and serve many
different kinds of communities. All centers, however, share three
basic features:
• Composed of multiple (2 or more), primarily not-for-profit, tenant
organizations
• Exist as a physical site (one or more buildings)
• Provide affordable, stable workspace, build capacity for the
nonprofit sector, and support the various missions of its tenant
organizations.
Nonprofit Centers Enhance the
Nonprofit Sector
Collaborative space and shared services help build a thriving and
sustainable sector in a number of ways:
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Increasing visibility
Lowering overhead costs
Transforming expenses into investments
Pioneering new initiatives
They benefit organizational tenants through providing:
• Stability
• Affordability
• Mission enhancement
They strengthen individuals and diverse communities through:
• Increasing direct program and service delivery
• Creating new hubs of economic activity
• Providing community resources
Why is space important to the
nonprofit sector?
The ability of nonprofits to provide quality affordable social services depends
on their ability to develop and maintain crucial infrastructure resources.
More than ever, nonprofit organizations find it increasingly difficult to secure
and maintain quality workspace that is stable and affordable and also
enhances the mission and operations of tenant organizations. Some of the
key reasons for this include:
• Economic Hard Times - Funding from foundations and corporate
sponsors has decreased, especially to groups who already tend to
receive a smaller portion of the pie, such as those serving
immigrants, advocates for social justice, or youth service providers.
• Lack of Real Estate Focused Support Services and Advocates There are very few, if any, organizations dedicated explicitly to the
office and program space needs of the nonprofit sector. To date,
infrastructure support for nonprofits has been focused on
management and organizational development, fiscal sponsorship,
fund development, and more recently, information technology.
Metuchen Nonprofit Center
3 groups:
Build with Purpose
Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey
Women Helping Women
• Shared common areas such as kitchen,
bathrooms, and meeting space
• Shared IT services
• Shared office equipment such as
photocopiers, fax, printers and phone
system
• Lower overhead and operational costs
• Increased visibility
• Opportunity for new partnerships and
initiatives
Boston Nonprofit Center
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Third Sector New England founded the
NonProfit Center in 2004.
Over 110,000 rentable square feet
One of the largest multi-tenant nonprofit
buildings in the United States.
The center offers numerous affordable
rental space and meeting rooms
equipped with state-of-the-art
communications technology.
Services Provided:
• Property management
• Building engineering
• Security
• Cleaning services
• Recycling services.
• Has accessible showers to encourage alternative means of commuting and a
healthy lifestyle.
Wilmington Nonprofit Center:
The Community Service Building
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Opened in 1997
Fully occupied by 73 nonprofit tenants
177,000 rentable square feet
Tenant suites range in size from one room to full floors
Provides:
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Collaborative workspace
Security
Kitchen/break room
Parking
Copy room
Conference rooms
General Assembly NY
General Assembly is a
campus for technology,
design, and
entrepreneurship. They
provide educational
programming, space, and
support to facilitate
collaborative practices and
learning opportunities
across a community inspired
by the entrepreneurial
Services Provided:
experience.
• Library
• Two big open work spaces
• Bike storage area
• Several rooms of varying sizes dedicated to
conferences and classes.
• Ability to share ideas, collaborate, work alongside
others.
Next Steps
Co-location Considerations:
• Who Is My Neighbor: Mission based/similar services vs.
unrelated organizations
• Rent or Own: Own or lease? Sublet space?
• Facility Needs: Facility goals and facility needs (geography,
money, space, parking, amenities, timeline)
• Shared Services: What services would/could you share? IT;
Finance; HR; Marketing; Other
Thank You!!!
www.bwpurpose.org
Lauren Bolline
Build with Purpose
224 Main St.
Metuchen, NJ 08840
lbolline@bwpurpose.org
732-635-1000 x114
Keith Timko
Build with Purpose
224 Main St.
Metuchen, NJ 08840
ktimko@bwpurpose.org
732-635-1000 x152